Are you incl. "shared humanity" in your appeals?
File under: A better way to write appeals?
How to add "shared humanity" to your letters
This advanced psych-based approach seeks to avoid "othering" your beneficiaries
Based on a presentation debuted by Julie Cooper and Jeff Brooks at the 2025 Fundraising Summer School in Dublin
Shown above: A reply form with a so-called "bounce back" feature, from a successful late-April 2025 appeal mailed by nonprofit orphanage Vida Joven [vjkids.org]. The form solicited donor response. It asked if they'd like to cheer on Verania, the subject of this special appeal. A donor who nicknamed herself "Nana Peggy" had plenty to write, as you can see (and she wasn't alone). This is one example of a "shared humanity" communication.
Julie Cooper and Jeff Brooks named their Summer School session From Rubbish to Rescue to Relationship: Fundraising Storytelling Reconsidered. The session covered six writing techniques that can lead to stronger, longer, more authentic connections with individual donors.
Here's one of the recommendations, as described in the Summer School catalog:
Recent research in psychology has uncovered the concept of “companionate love” — the human need to help those we are connected with. Instead of focusing on a rescue narrative, we can create stories that encourage connectedness. This approach not only works to raise funds, there’s evidence that it leads to more donor engagement and retention than the “rescue” model.
Julie and Jeff suggested that fundraisers take a companionate approach in their appeals, "to help those donors who are ready to grow their capacity for love to act on that." Translation: better retention, bigger gifts and donor Lifetime Value trending upwards.
Julie/Jeff introduced a new term in Dublin: "shared humanity." That's what they called the practice of writing companionate-aware appeals. "Shared humanity" writing, they argued, fosters a stronger emotional bond between donors and the beneficiaries they hope to assist.
We saw a little bit of what "shared humanity" looks like in the Vida Joven reply device above. It LOUDLY invited donors to connect with Verania ... giving them plenty of space to write her an encouraging note.
And connect they did!
The Verania appeal was a winner. There was even a companion short video offered online where donors could meet this young woman face to face and listen to her stunning "then and now" story. At the end of the video, she thanks Vida Joven and, by extension, its supporters.
Let's look at results.
Average gift size: $175. Reported Beth Beall, Vida Joven's ED: "Outside of xmas appeals, our average gift size throughout the year is $125-$200, so I’m happy."
Response rate: 8.5%, which is in line with industry standards for a mailing to current donors. Again Beth was happy: "Our average appeal response rate (outside of xmas) is 7-9%."
She then added, "Here’s what especially pleased me: Of the 8.5% who responded, 25% were monthly donors who contributed an extra gift. Usually I only see extra gifts from monthly folks at the end of the year or in response to an urgent e-appeal."
Here's what might surprise skeptics of Julie/Jeff's new "shared humanity" approach. Beth again: "...of that 8.5% response rate, 35% wrote a note to Verania."
Wow.
A simple "bounce back" offer on the reply device inspired more than a third of donors to say "Hi!" ... deepening a sense of "family" — a family that includes beneficiaries and companionate donors together, chasing some shared human goal. Maybe the goal is to reduce suffering. Maybe it's to create opportunity and a better future. The nonprofit sector is a constellation of needs and hopes, visions and missions.
What does "shared humanity" actually sound like on the page, in an appeal?
Here's a snippet from the Verania letter, as penned by Beth:
“Verania has a job at a factory to help pay for her schooling… She’s working hard to be a responsible young adult.
“Still, you know we all need help at times. And right now Verania really needs help from you so she can pay for her last term of law school…”
The key phrasing? "... you know we all need help at times...."
Here's another "shared humanity" snippet, from a different Beth-written appeal:
"To be honest with you, I often feel pretty helpless when I see the faces of suffering children in the news.
"But then I remember that you and I can do something. You and I can make this world a kinder, more peaceful place, one child at a time....”[excerpted from the appeal below]:
Julie Cooper commented enthusiastically on Beth's knack for writing "shared humanity" appeals:
No statistics. No persuasion.
Just an honest admission of feeling helpless when we see suffering.
By naming it, Beth, you level the field. You just told the reader: I feel it, you feel it— so let’s face it together!
Shared humanity in action. A family....
❤️❤️❤️
Beth Beall had some final words about using language like "family" and "rescue" with prospects and donors:
"I use the language of rescue, and won’t be surrendering that language anytime soon. In the case of Vida Joven, we’re inviting people to 'rescue a child…FOR GOOD.' Kids who are born into hard and scary and dangerous lives are in need of some rescuing…
"Yet once a donor shows an interest in or responsiveness to more relationship, more connection with the children, I find that *that’s* where the language of family, friendship etc. becomes powerful for folks.
Here's Beth's proposition to freshman supporters: "You’ve rescued a child. Now will you help raise her? Will you be family for her?'"
Dear Reader: This is an excerpt from Tom Ahern’s e-newsletter. Did you miss crucial back issues of this how-to e-news? Immediately available! Just GO here. (And scroll down just a bit to sign up for Tom’s revenue-boosting tips and insights. In your inbox regularly. It’s free.)